“I’m a terrible artist.”
“I’m just not a science person.”
“Speak English. I
don’t understand Spanish.”
“This is too hard.”
Have you heard these comments from students in your
school? Chances are high you have heard
these types of comments because they are not uncommon in classrooms. Many students, as well as their parents and
teachers, believe that intelligence is a fixed trait that does not change over
time. This is a misconception. Dr. Carol Dweck exposed fixed and growth
mindsets in her groundbreaking book, Mindset,The New Psychology of Success.
Dr. Dweck states that a fixed mindset is characterized by a
belief that each person has only a “certain amount of intelligence, a certain
personality and a certain moral character“(p. 6). A person with a fixed mindset wants to
appear intelligent, in calm control of the situation (as, of course, do we
all). Working to solve a problem, on the
contrary, might appear to be an admission of weakness or inadequacy; much
better to quickly give up on a difficult task and move on to something
easier. People with a growth mindset
believe that a “person’s basic qualities are things that can be cultivated
through effort” (p.7). A person with a
growth mindset is driven to improve.
Thus, effort, seeking out challenges, and persisting in the face of
difficulty are welcome activities. I
certainly do not want to hear “I’m just not a science person” in my
classroom. I want my students to expend
effort, persist in the face of difficulty, seek out different strategies, work
with their classmates, and love the act of learning. Only students with a growth mindset have the
qualities I long for in my classroom.
But, not all of my students come to my classroom with a growth mindset. How can I help my students foster a growth mindset?
